New Beginnings
by Lileigh
Summary: Just a short Sam/Andy moment in time.  Set after she passes her evaluation. Obviously, I have no claim to the series and I don't know what is in the writer's minds, but here is a thought that crossed mine. Reviews are very appreciated.
1. Chapter 1

Andy sat on the steps, nervously clasping her hands, her right leg jittering unconsciously. Abruptly, she stood up, paused, and then sat back down again.

Would he even be here tonight?

She had almost made up her mind to give in to cowardice and go home, when headlights illuminated the dark street. She heard the door to his truck slam, but couldn't seem to make herself stand. Sam came to a stop in front of her, a wary look crossing his face as he glanced up at his house.

"What are you doing here, McNally?"

"I just …I wanted to…um", Andy paused and rubbed her palms nervously over her thighs.

Sam widened his stance and crossed his arms defensively, an impatient look coming over his face.

"I just heard your transfer came through. You're going back to undercover," she burst out. "I can't believe you didn't even say anything. What, you were just going to disappear and you thought I wouldn't care? We're… friends, Sam, you're my TO. How could you just let me find out about this in a casual conversation with someone else?" Andy broke off with a look that was half resentful and half hurt.

Sam stood still for a moment, marshalling his thoughts. This was exactly what he had hoped to avoid. The thought of trying to put his feelings into words for her made his stomach twist, but this was Andy and he had realized a long time ago that he couldn't deny her anything. So he sighed, sat down next to her and spoke to her profile.

"You passed your evaluation. You're officially not a rookie anymore, which means that I'm not your training officer anymore. You knew six months ago that I applied to work Guns and Gangs. Being in uniform was only temporary."

Andy looked at him sideways through her bangs.

"Well… yeah, I know that, but… I guess I thought…", she shook her head, irritation momentarily winning over hurt. "You could have told me, okay? I would've…", she trailed off.

"Would have what? What would you have done, Andy? Slapped me on the shoulder and said, 'Good luck with that, pal'? Or maybe, shaken my hand and said, 'See you around, buddy. I'll try not to arrest you again". Sam's voice rose in agitation. Andy stared at him for a moment, a conflict of emotions playing over her face, before dropping her gaze back down to her hands.

Sam rolled his eyes, frustrated with himself.

They sat that way for a minute, shoulder to shoulder, each trying to figure out how to break through the wall between them.

Andy's voice came softly out of the darkness. "I think I would have probably said something like 'Thank you'. Possibly 'I'll miss you'."

Sam looked at her in surprise.

"You know, I came into this job thinking there was only one way to be a cop. That it was straightforward and structured. You taught me that it's not always about being 'by the book'. You helped me figure out how to do this. You helped me figure out a lot of things. I'm just…I'm not sure that I'm through learning yet and now you're not going to be there anymore."

Andy kept her eyes on Sam's and waited for him to say something.

"What are you saying, McNally? You just can't live without me?" That should have sounded a lot snarkier that it actually ended up sounding, Sam thought. Then he just gave up and allowed the hope that had suddenly bloomed inside to creep over his face.

They gazed at each other in silence, until Sam stood and offered his hand.

"Come on inside. I'll make dinner and we'll talk."

They walked up the stairs and into the house, hands still clasped.

"For the record", he said without turning around, "I'm always gonna be there."

A beautiful smile broke over Andy's face as she crossed the threshold and her eyes met his. The door swung shut behind them.


	2. Chapter 2

_Okay, I was prepared for this chapter to take a lot longer to finish, but I just couldn't seem to leave it alone until it was done. Thanks for all the great reviews. This is the first thing I've written in a really long time and my first fan fic ever, so critiques are very welcome. I hope you enjoy it. _

Sam stared into his half-empty refrigerator. His brain was trying frantically to come up with a really great idea for a meal, but that train of thought kept getting blown off the rails by another one.

She's here.

He couldn't stop his head from turning to take a peek over his shoulder. Just to make sure. He'd had mental flashes of this scenario so many times in the past few months: Andy wandering around his living room with a glass of wine in her hand.

Sam sucked in a breath and tried to get his heart rate back to normal. He turned back to the fridge. Beer, leftover pizza, juice, assorted condiments and a few other random things. Nothing with which to make an actual dinner.

Great! The girl of his literal dreams was in his home. They were finally alone together in an other-than-work setting. This was the perfect opportunity to cement the idea of him as more than just her partner and mentor and he was going to blow it.

"I kind of like cold pizza with a great glass of wine."

Sam spun around at the sound of Andy's voice behind him.

"Yeah," he breathed out a laugh and shot her a grin. "You want to go out?"

"Nah, I don't date cops remember?" Andy laughed at her own joke and turned away to rummage through his cabinets.

"Right, right…how's that going for you again?" Sam tossed off as he reached over her head for a box of pasta.

"Well, since the only cop I've ever dated broke up with me because I lied to him about you…I seem to be back on track."

Sam's hand froze on the pot he was filling with water.

"Callaghan broke up with you? Are you okay?" Sam's brow furrowed as he turned to look at her. "You want to talk about it?"

"Nope." Andy pulled a few things out of his fridge and kicked the door shut with her foot.

"Okay." Sam nodded. "What do you mean he broke up with you because you lied to him about me? Didn't we cover this already?"

"Right, so maybe it was because _you_ lied to him about_me_." Andy grabbed a knife from the block on his counter. "What I want to talk about is you leaving and not bothering to tell me," she deflected, pointedly chopping a few tomatoes into tiny bits with a little more force than was actually required.

Sam eyed her for a minute. "I guess we have a _lot_ to talk about." He put the water on the burner to boil and reached for another pan.

Andy dumped the tomatoes into the pan he placed on the stove for her and grabbed an onion.

"Great", she slashed it in half. "You start."

Sam blew out a breath. "Andy, I would have told you. I just found out today, so I haven't exactly had a chance. It's not that I don't like being a uniform, but the department needs people who can dedicate themselves to being undercover. They need people who can disappear from their lives for months on end; who can live like criminals for months on end. There aren't many cops who can do that and stay stable. It's tough and it's something I'm really good at. Hey, I fooled you, didn't I?"

Andy stayed silent, concentrating on chopping as her eyes blurred with tears.

His hand came to rest on hers as she gripped the handle of the knife. "Let me have this. You're going to cut off a finger."

Her eyes closed as she absorbed the heat of him behind her. So close. A tear trickled down her cheek.

"Andy." Sam's voice rumbled in her ear as his other hand came to rest on the small of her back.

"It's the onion." She slipped sideways away and went to wash her hands. Grabbing her wine glass, she leaned back against the counter. Sipping and watching him finish the sauce, she suddenly started to relax for the first time in days.

Sam glanced up at her and quirked a little smile as he caught her looking. She smiled as warmth spread through her chest.

"I'll set the table. Where…?"

He pointed out the cabinets and drawers and Andy gathered up dishes and silver.

"Can I ask you a question?" she said as she laid everything out on the table.

"Does that one count?"

Andy shot him a look and pointed a spoon at him. "No."

"Go ahead."

"Why does a single, straight man have enough candles in his house to light up an entire bedroom?"

Sam choked out a surprised laugh. "I bought them on the way home from work. It was a blackout!" he said defensively. "Not where I thought you were going with that, by the way."

"Oh, yeah?" Andy said coming to lean against the counter near him as he put the finishing touches on their dinner. "What did you think I had in mind?"

Sam rested his hand on the counter near her hip and took a swig from his beer as he looked into her laughing eyes.

"I gave up trying to read your mind a long time ago, McNally," he said, marveling at the fact they were actually talking _about_ that night instead of just _around_it. "You've kept me guessing since the day you tackled me in that alley."

"You know I feel bad about that. The whole blowing your cover thing. But, in retrospect, you really did deserve to be thrown to the ground and jumped on. I'm kind of glad I got in at least one good shot considering the hard time you've given me since then. "

"Great," Sam nodded sadly to himself. "Here I make a nice dinner for the woman and all she can say is that she really enjoyed grinding my face into the pavement, shoving me into a chain link fence and handcuffing me."

Sam squinted at her as her megawatt smile lit up the room and she chuckled.

He rotated to face her, propping his other hand beside her right hip, effectively boxing her in.

"I'm not sure I'm into your idea of foreplay, McNally." He grinned as he slowly moved closer.

Andy's smile dimmed to a much softer one as his lips came within an inch of hers. She took in a deep breath and her eyes slid to the left.

"I think dinner is ready," she said in a whisper.

"Right." Sam's warm breath washed over her lips. "We should get right to that," he said, not moving a muscle.

They stared into each other's eyes as their breathing synced. Suddenly, their eyes closed and laughter burst out as Andy's stomach rumbled.

Sam's forehead came to rest against hers.

"Denied." Andy laughed.

Sam snorted and moved away. "Story of my…last few months," he said, plating the pasta.

Andy handed him a fresh beer as he passed her a plate. He kept a grip on the china as she started to turn away.

"To be continued, Andy."


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: I own no part of Rookie Blue and have complete respect for the writers and their vision. This is just a little something to make myself feel better about the way the season ended. _

Andy slid the last plate back into the cabinet and draped the dishtowel across the sink. Picking up her wine glass, she walked into the living room where Sam was crouched by the fireplace.

"You want some help with that?"she asked

"Nah. I got it. Just relax." He smiled.

Andy sank down onto the overstuffed sofa, slouched back and sighed. Watching his strong capable hands lay the fire, a feeling of contentment washed over her. 'I love this,' she thought, as a smile rose up out of her chest, 'I love h-whoa!' Her widened eyes fell first to her glass and then slid suspiciously to the bottle on the table: more than half full. 'Not the wine, then,' her mental conversation continued, 'Huh.'

"Feels good, doesn't it?" Sam snapped off the ceiling light and sat down beside her.

"What!"

"Uh… the fire." Sam eyed her cautiously. "You okay?"

"Yeah." She shook her head slightly. "Yeah. I'm good. The fire's good. This is…"

"Good?" Sam asked with a grin.

Andy laughed. "Mmmm."

They were both silent for a moment; watching the dancing flames cast shadows on the walls.

"Sam?"

His dark head turned toward hers.

"What you said to Luke about that night…thank you for that. For trying to make me…for trying to give me what would make me happy."

"Yeah, well…you were emotional that night. You needed someone and I was available. " Sam's hand rose and fell. "It shouldn't be held against you. Killing someone's a difficult thing to deal with. You weren't thinking clearly."

Andy nodded, her eyes searching his. "Right," she said quietly.

"What happened? I thought things were going well with you two. Moving in together and all that."

"Yeah, they were." She was quiet for a minute. "I told him the truth about what happened between us."

"Why?"

Andy struggled for a moment to find a way to put her thoughts and feelings into words. "You know my dad's going to AA, right?"

Sam nodded.

"Well, there are all of these steps; these things they have to accomplish during the program. Sort of like rules for a new life, I guess. He has a list on his fridge." She fell silent and stared into the fire. "One of them is to 'make a searching and fearless moral inventory of yourself'," she shook her head. "I lied to Luke, Sam, and I lied to you. And to myself, even. I was kind of freaked out," she sighed. "I mean I was dating Luke… but then there was you… but you were my training officer… and you have to admit that things have never been easy between us." Andy's brows drew together. 'My whole life, I've never had uncomplicated relationships. Not with my mom, my dad, the guys I've dated. I was just tired of fighting, you know? I just wanted easy; normal."

Sam kept his eyes on her face. "I get that."

"With Luke I didn't have to over think anything. There wasn't any conflict. It was just simple. I could probably have spent years with him, maybe a lifetime, and it would have been good." She stopped and studied her hands. "But it wouldn't have been honest."

Andy fell silent, waiting for him to say something. She reached out as if to touch his chest then her hand fell back to her lap.

"I thought you were dead." Andy blinked hard as tears threatened to rise. "On the op we did for Boyd. For just a second I thought it was you under that tarp and I couldn't breathe." Her eyes shut tight as she relived that moment. "That was the worst moment of my life, Sam. All of the bad things that have ever happened to me and all I could think right then was that this was the worst," she paused. "It still took me a little while, but I guess I finally figured out honest. It's not easy or simple. It's difficult and messy and scary and it hurts. But then one day you wake up and everything just falls into place and you feel like you can do anything." Andy took a deep breath her eyes steady on Sam's. "It's pretty much like I always feel when I'm with you."

Sam's hands came up to cup her face and his voice was rough as he said, "It's about damn time, McNally. "

"Wait." Andy's hand came up to press against his chest. "There's still a lot to talk about."

"Okay, how's this for a start? This thing between us? This is it for me, Andy. I am head over heels, crazy in love with you. There are a lot of things I wish I could go back and do differently, but the past is past and there's no point worrying about the future. We have an entire difficult, messy lifetime to talk everything out. The only important question right now is whether or not you want to be in this with me."

Sam couldn't take his eyes off her face and he was finding it difficult to catch a full breath as he waited for her answer.

Andy laughed as bubbly tingles spread from her toes to her chest. "Sam, I've been in this with you since the first time I pointed my gun at you."

They were both laughing as their lips met.


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: This has been so much fun to write and I have loved the reviews. Sorry this was so long coming, but Luke distracted me with his story (a shameless plug, I know). I know it's extremely short, but this conversation just popped into my head, so I thought I would add it. I hope you've enjoyed reading this story as much as I've enjoyed writing it. _

"Wow.''

"Mmmm."

"I think I saw fireworks at one point."

"Only _one_ point? I guess I'll have to try harder next time."

"That might kill me and they're expecting me to show up for work tomorrow."

Quiet laughter sounded in the intimate darkness.

"I'll write you a note excusing you."

"That will definitely give them something to talk about."

"They've been talking since we met."

"Does that bother you?"

"The fact that our fellow cops have been speculating on our sex life?"

"Yeah."

"It's a little weird."

"Get used to it. There's no way they're not going to notice that we're a couple now."

"Well, there are no rules against it anymore. Besides, we've always worked really well together."

"I think we just proved that."

"Twice."

"True, but we should really practice our technique. A lot. I mean, just in case."

"Absolutely. You never know when there might be an urgent situation that only the two of us can handle."

"In fact, I can think of one right now."

"I'm sure I can find a way to resolve the issue. Maybe like this."

"Ohh-kay. McNally, remember when I said I wasn't into your idea of foreplay?"

"Yep."

"I lied."

"I'll get the handcuffs."


End file.
